Question: Simplify the following expression: $x = \dfrac{-4y + 40}{-8}$ You can assume $y \neq 0$.
Explanation: Find the greatest common factor of the numerator and denominator. The numerator can be factored: $-4y + 40 = - (2\cdot2 \cdot y) + (2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot5)$ The denominator can be factored: $-8 = - (2\cdot2\cdot2)$ The greatest common factor of all the terms is $4$ Factoring out $4$ gives us: $x = \dfrac{(4)(-y + 10)}{(4)(-2)}$ Dividing both the numerator and denominator by $4$ gives: $x = \dfrac{-y + 10}{-2}$